The Mutual fund sector is looked at as an emerging area for personal financial planning and affords the investors the gains of diversification, liquidity, and professional management. Despite these positive factors, the mutual fund penetration is still relatively low among retail investors in India. This paradox highlights an area very important for discussion: public perception. This review paper covers existing literature concerning the perception of mutual funds among differing sections of the population. It studies the influence of factors such as financial literacy, risk tolerance, trust in fund managers, social influence, and other demographic variables for shaping investor perceptions. It also highly emphasizes a growing role of technology and media in shaping investment behavior and perception. Key issues have also been identified involving communication breakdowns, transparency, and misperceptions that hinder mutual fund acceptance. It proposes possible future research directions such as behavioral finance angles, regional perspectives, post-pandemic behavioral analyses, and investigating digital tools with the perception of ESG funds. These findings from the review will contribute toward ongoing efforts to improve investor education and policy formulation for promotion of mutual fund marketing.